Swivel type furniture-supporting glide



June 1965 G. 1.. CONGDON 3,191,213

SWIVEL TYPE FURNITURE-SUPPORTING GLIDE Filed Sept. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l I 5 A) INVENTOR.

/4 EQEE A. (a/vDa/J /o /z d 24 /a By Arr-021w? vi June 29, 1965 CONGDQN 3,191,213

SWIVEL TYPE FURNITURE-SUPPORTING GLIDE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT 6-5024-11- .60 00M W, mim

3,191,213 SWIVEL TYPE FUKJlTUREUPPURTlNG GLIDE George L. Congdon, Fort Atkinson, Wis assignor to Plastocon Corp, Oconornowoc, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Sept. 12, E63, Ser. No. 388,430 11 Claims. (Cl. 1642) This invention relates to a swivel type furniture-supporting glide.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the glide includes a foot having an annular concave bearing surface of large radius with which a complementary convex annular bearing surface at the end of a leg-connected sleeve is in swiveled engagement. The sleeve has an internal shoulder formed to provide a seat for a knob or head which is carried by a stem connected with the glide foot and extending through the annular bearing, the shouldered portions of the sleeve being confined between the knob and the bearing surface of the foot. The knob and the shoulder upon which it seats preferably have complementary spherical bearing surfaces accommodating swiveled movement between these parts when the sleeve is tilted with respect to the foot. However, this is not required in some cases. In one embodiment herein disclosed, the knob cannot tilt on its seat on the sleeve shoulder and pivotal movement between the sleeve and foot is accommodated by the elasticity of the stem. Various other knob forms are contemplated.

The glide foot normally has substantial area and marginal relief and is made of non-marking material to slide smoothly on the floor or floor covering. The present invention takes advantage of the large area of the foot so that load imposed on the glide is sustained in compression and well distributed. The concave annular bearing surface may be formed either directly upon the foot or, in preferred embodiments, upon a decorative socket ring which is interchangeably carried by the foot and which, for reasons hereinafter noted, rests peripherally on the foot when unloaded, the ring being slightly resilient and having its central portion spaced slightly above the foot at its inner periphery for limited axial yielding movement.

When the knob and the leg plug or sleeve both have spherically convex bearing surfaces, as in the preferred construction hereinafter described, these surfaces are not necessarily concentric, although they are nearly so. Preferably they are offset slightly axially of the sleeve, whereby there is relatively little resistance to swivelling action of small angle, the resistance progressively increasing as the angle increases.

Since the shouldered portion of the sleeve or leg plug is confined between the knob and the concave bearing surface of the foot, it is necessary to make segments of the leg plug or sleeve separable to facilitate assembly. To this end, the leg plug may be axially split, at least at the end thereof which carries the shoulder, so that the resulting shouldered segments of the sleeve can be separated to receive the knob. With the knob in place and the shouldered segment of the leg plug confined about the knob either by the leg itself or by a ferrule, the leg-connected and foot components of the device are securely anchored in connection with each other to maintain the parts in assembly during handling and use, while accommodating universal tilting movement of the foot with respect to the furniture leg to which the leg-connected components of the glide are attached.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a swivel glide embodying the invention as it appears when the leg-connected part are pivoted out of alignment with the foot.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in axial section through the de vice of FIG. 1 with the several parts in axial alignment,

1 United States Patent Patented June 29, 1965 the foot and its stem and knob being shown in side elevation.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of the swivel glide shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing in section a somewhat modified embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a glide embodying the invention assembled to a tubular furniture leg, the leg and parts of the glide being illustrated in section.

FIG. 6 shows a glide embodying the invention assembled to a solid furniture leg, the leg and parts of the glide being illustrated in section.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a further modified embodiment of the invention.

The preferred construction will first be described, it being understood that various changes in form may be made within the contemplation of the invention.

The foot asesrnbly A comprises a foot 10 having a glide surface $12 marginally relieved at 14 and provided with a central boss 16 which assists in centering on the upper surface 13 of the foot a socket ring 20 which is separately prefabricated principally in order that it may be interchangeable with respect to the foot for decorative reasons. Since this ring is preferably made of plastic, which is available in any desired color, the interchangeable feature permits the glide to be conformed with any desired color scheme, simply by equipping the foot with a socket ring of appropriate color. But for this, the concave bearing surface 22 might be provided directly upon the foot.

The socket ring 2!) has a central opening telescopically engaged with the boss 16 of the foot. Its lower surface 24 is slightly dished or downwardly concave so that the socket ring is engaged with the foot only at its outer periphery until subjected to load. The synthetic resin of which the socket ring is preferably molded has sufiicient resilience so that the inner periphery of the ring yields axially under load, thus providing a measure of springines and also tending to vary slightly the radius of the spherically concave bearing surface 22, when load is imposed thereon. The resilient yielding of socket ring Ztl is not a requisite of the invention. In fact, in some embodiments the ring in question is made of metal rather than synthetic resin.

The foot components further include a stem or post 26 which rises centrally from the boss to and which carries a knob 28. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this knob has the form of a truncated sphere with a central cavity at 36 the principal purpose of the cavity being to reduce the amount of material required in the fabrication thereof. Externall the knob or head 2% preferably has a generally spherical bearing surface 32, although surfaces of other contours are usable. While the surface 32 may be concentric with the bearing surface 22 of the socket ring 29, it is preferred that the center 34 of the spherical surface 32 be offset slightly in a direction axially of post .6 of the center 36 of the spherical bearing surface 22 (FIG. 2).

The leg-connected com onents B of the glide are subiect to considerable variation according to whether the glide is to be used with a hollow leg or a solid leg. The construction shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 is used with a hollow leg. it includes a leg plug or sleeve 49 receivable within the hollow tubular leg 38 and provided with a convex bearing surface 42 engaged with and generally complementary to the bearing surface 22 of the socket ring.

The sleeve 4% is internally shouldered to provide a seat E4 extending beneath the knob 28 and with which the knob is engaged to maintain the leg-connected components B and the foot components A in assembly. In the preferred construction, the bearing surface of seat 44 is spherical to conform to that of the preferred knob.

Between the annular convex external bearing surface 42 of the leg plug or sleeve 40 and the annular internal concave bearing surface 44 thereof, extends an opening 46 through. which the post .26 extends. The difference in radius between the'interior surface'of theleg'pl'ug or sleeve 4t) and the post 26 is sufiicient to allow a very substantial angular pivotal movement between the le'g 'conriectedparts andjthe foot.

In'the assembleddevice, the portion or sleeve which bounds the opening. 46 is confined between the knob 28 and socket ring 210; In order'to permit assembly, the leg plug or sleeve 40, or at least the shoul' dered lower end .thereof,.is divided. into segments." This may be done by providing at least one diametrical slit 50 best shown in FIG. 3 so that the-shouldered'lower extrem ity of the sleeve can be spread to receive the knob in the manner shown in" FIG. 2;" As hereinafter explained,

means is provided for holding thesegmentstogetherabout theknob and'stem. Assuming that the slit doesnot cornpletely'divide; the leg plug or sleeve, the "sli'trnay terminate in a transverse bore'or bores'52 which tend to protectthe upper end of the sleeve from being torn when the lower end portions'are separated to beengag'ed'over the knob.

When the leg'plug orsleeve 40 is engaged in the lower end of a tubular leg as shown at38'in FIG. 2, itsshouldered bearing portions will be confined against radial 'sep aration and thereby securely anchored about the knob. It is, therefore, unnecessary to employ for'that function a ferrule suchas that shown at 54. However, partly for decorative finish and partly to prevent the plastic leg plug or sleeve from being cut by the potentially jagged lower 1436f at leg'plug.

. v 4 which is fiat instead of being spherical, it being understood that the shoulder and knobmay be of any desired 7 form. In the construction of FIG. 7, the required swiveled movement betweenthe leg plug or sleeve and the socket ring 29 is accommodated. by theflexibility and axial attenuation of the elasticstem 261s that swivelling-rnove- 7 meat between the foot components andtheleg-connected end of the furniture leg 38, it ispr'eferred to provide a ferrule 54 counterboredto receive the leg and having a shoulder'at 56' upon which the lower end' of the leg 'res'ts Wl16l'l lll ferrule is seated upontheshouldei 58"with which the leg plug or sleeve'is' preferably provided.

As Willbe/apparent upon comparison of FIG. 1 with" FIG. 2, the arrangement permits of a' very substantial range of universal angular tilting movement between the furniture leg and the foot, the range'of such movement being suflicient to accommodate any deviation from level" which can reasonably be anticipated.

'The "construction is also very versatil'e from the stand point of materials usable. While all or the parts ar'e'p'ref er'ably molded of some flexible and elastic'synthetic resin ofappropriate 'low' frictional characteristics, nylon-being an example, the shoe or foot 10 with its post 26 and knob 28 may conveniently be made of smooth and non-corrosive metal is desired, whether or not the socket ring and leg plug are made of plastic. Similarly, the leg ferrule may be made of metal, if desired. Infact, the parts may be made of any desired materials.

In the'construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6; the only differences from that above described lie in the arrangement whereby the leg plug 400 is shown closed at its upper end 60. The long tapered side openings 62 take'the place of theslits and bores 52 of P165. 2 and 3. The showing of FIG. 5 also exemplifies the statement above made to the effect that the ferrule 54 may be omitted, the tubular leg 38 being seated directly on the shoulder 58. FIG. 6 shows that by using a ferrule at 540 which extends well above theleg plug 400, the ferrule may be made to receive V the lower extremity of a solid leg such as that shown at 380. It will, of course, be understood that the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is similarly adapted to receive a solid leg when an appropriate ferrule is used. a

By way of an extreme exemplification of the fact that the engaged surfaces of the knob andits seat on the shoul- I dered sleeve need'not be spherical and need not necessarily provide a bearing, FIG. 7 shows a further modified em-' bodirnent in which the knob 281is externally cylindrical rather than having the form ofa truncated sphere. It is fitted into a complementary'generally cylindrical socket in the leg .plugor sleeve 401 and seats on a-shoulde'r 441] components can occur inthe desired manner and through great range of universal angular movement. Inthis'cas e, the upper end of thefr'usto conically tapered interior opening 561 in the sleevemayihave uiesame radius as the elas tically flexible. andstretchable stem 261, since no relative lateral movement isreduite'd. Itwill be understood that the various featuresfdisclosed' are interchahgeable fbetween' the various embodimentsf Swivel' glides e'mbodyi'n'g' tl'ie" invention are readily manufactured and shipped in'. assembled formor with the? various components" separated'for assembly by the' furniture manufacturer or user; Either at'th'e time of initial purchase oran'yfutu're'time the socket rings, leg plugs or ferrulesmay be disassembled and interchanged to vary the color, scheme of theunit. Assuming that the components o'r'so'm'e of themare' made from an appropriate' syntheticflresin such as nylon, the arrangement provides a self-lubricating assembly whichiis free of corr-osio'n and does not mark-a floor upon which it is used. Moreover, the concave'for-m wand large, area and large radius of the annular bearing surfaces upon whichthe leg con'nected parts are-supported from the shoe assures that the loading will be light and themate'r'ial ,used'will' with anup'rightfl stem having a terminal khob'spaced above the member" and having materially greater." cross section than said'stem, means pfoviding aconcave annul'ar bea ringsurface on the foot memberfand' encircling the stern, an integralnsleeve of flexible material having. a lower endportionjsplit torec'eivethe'knob, said lower' end'portion being providedinternally' withan annular shoulder' underlying the knob' and surroundi'rig the stem arid "saidslee've'alsohaving an eXposedloWer surface whichis downwardly convex and '-is seated on'the said concave bearing surface for unive'rsally yield-able sup port from the foot member, the split lower endportio ns of the -sleevebeingheld closed about the kilob by said tubular member. I

, ZQ-A'glide according to claim 1 in which the knob and interior of the sleeve have complementary cylindrical surfaces and the stem is flexible.

.3. A glide according to claim"2 in which the: shoulder is substant-ially normal to the stemI I 14.:A glide accordingto'claim l in which; the interior of the sleeve is substantiallycylindrical atthe level of the top of said head, the annular shoulder and .1ower portion of the head' having mating spherical surfaces'in bearing' 'contact.

5.- A slide in accordance with claim -1 in which said con-cave annular bearing surfacefirst-mentioned is generally spherical about a center spaced axially of thesleevefrom -the center "of the annular spherical surface of the shoulder of the sleeve.

6. -A glide in accordance with claim 1 in "which the engaged surfaces-of theknoU-and-shoiilder deviate from parallelismwithfthe :said bearing surfacesof 'the" foot and sleeve, and the stemyis sufiicientl'y elastically extensible and'rflexible to accommodate movement between aid'bea ing surfaces;

7. A glide according to claim 1 in which said sleeve has an external shoulder upon which said tubular memher is seated.

-8. A glide according to claim 1 in which the means providing the concave annular bearing surface first mentioned comprises a socket ring separately prefabricated.

'9. A glide according to claim 1 in which the sleeve has an external shoulder surrounding the inner shoulder upon which the knob is seated, said tubular member having a lower terminal portion embracing said sleeve and seated upon the external shoulder thereof, and having its upper end extended above said sleeve and adapted to receive a furniture leg for which the sleeve provides support from said foot member.

10. A glide according to claim 1 in which the means providing the concave annular bearing surface first mentioned comprises a socket ring separately prefabricated,

said foot member haivng a central boss telescopically engaged by the inner periphery of said ring.

11. A glide according to claim 10 in which said foot and ring are respectively provided with opposed surfaces engaged substantially only adjacent the out-er periphery of said ring when the ring is unloaded, the inner periphery of the ring being spaced axially above the foot member adjacent said boss and the sleeve being wholly supported thereon, the ring being resiliently yieldable under load.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,762,405 9/56 Gulland 8532 2,974,352 3/61 Lockwood 1642 3,078,498 2/63 Morgan 16-42 DONLEY I. STOCKING, Pr'imary Examiner. 

1. A FURNITURE LEG GLIDE FOR USE WITH A TUBULAR MEMBER AND COMPRISING A FOOT MEMBER PROVIDED CENTRALLY WITH AN UPRIGHT STEM HAVING A TERMINAL KNOB SPACED ABOVE THE MEMBER AND HAVING MATERIALLY GREATER CROSS SECTION THAN SAID STEM, MEANS PROVIDING A CONCAVE ANNULAR BEARING SURFACE ON THE FOOT MEMBER AND ENCIRCLING THE STEM, AN INTEGRAL SLEEVE OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A LOWER END PORTION SPLIT TO RECEIVE THE KNOB, SAID LOWER END PORTION BEING PROVIDED INTERNALLY WITH AN ANNULAR SHOULDER UNDERLYING THE KNOB AND SURROUNDING THE STEM AND SAID SLEEVE ALSO HAVING AN EXPOSED LOWER SURFACE WHICH IS DOWNWARDLY CONVEX AND IS SEATED ON THE SAID CONCAVE BEARING SURFACE FOR UNIVERSALLY YIELDABLE SUPPORT FROM THE FOOT MEMBER, THE SPLIT LOWER END PORTIONS OF THE SLEEVE BEING HELD CLOSED ABOUT THE KNOB BY SAID TUBULAR MEMBER. 